Let me remind you of what has been happening in Matthew 21. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey as the people lined the streets and worshipped Him as the Messiah, and said, “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Jesus then went into the temple and drove out those who bought and sold there. The tables of the money changers were overturned, and “the den of thieves” was put out of business at least for one day.
The conversations we are about to read take place immediately after the cleansing of the temple. The two parables that we will read in this account were aimed squarely at the leaders of the house of God in Jerusalem.
Matthew 21
23 Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?"
24 But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:
25 The baptism of John — where was it from? From heaven or from men?" And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'
26 But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."
27 So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
The chief priests and the elders of the people were the authority of the temple and wanted to know who this renegade was who was rocking their religious boat, and what authority He had to do so. Can you imagine this group asking Jesus:
“Who do you think you are?”
We know that this was Jesus, the Son of God! The One of whom was written:
Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
They are asking Jesus, “What right do you have to come into our temple and mess with our stuff?”
What a mistake we make when we start thinking God’s stuff is our stuff!
You do not want to be in God’s way when He “repos” His stuff! Jesus tells two parables that address the areas in which the religious leaders had so completely failed.
These guys who thought they had the corner on the “God market” would soon find themselves out in the cold!
The failures of the religious leaders
· They had failed to do God’s will
28 "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'
29 He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.
30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.
31 Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, "The first."
Jesus told the story of two sons. Both of them were asked to go and work for the Father.
One of them immediately responded, “I will not go!” Sometime later he rethought his actions, repented and did what his father had asked.
The other was just like the religious leaders of that day. They were the son who said, “I will go,” but never went. After presenting the account, Jesus had a question:
“Which of the two did the will of his father?”
They said to Him, "The first."
It wasn’t the one who gave lip service to the father, but the one who eventually did the father’s will. In their answer they condemned themselves.
The son that pleased the father was the one who had no intention of doing his father’s will but afterward rethought his decision and ended up doing it.
There is this small thing that is really important to God. The small thing is called HIS WILL! God’s will is really a big deal to God and it needs to be a big deal to us too. There are some areas in which God’s will applies equally to everyone.
· God’s will is for everyone to be saved
2 Peter 3:8-9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
· People being lost has never been part of His plan
Matthew 18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
· Jesus was totally committed to doing the will of God
Hebrews 10:5-7 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come — in the volume of the book it is written of Me — to do Your will, O God.'"
Galatians 1:4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father…
Matthew 26:39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." There is a key word that Jesus spoke “NEVER-THE-LESS” He would settle for nothing less that God’s will.
· God has a specific will regarding you
In the same was God had a perfect plan for Jesus, He also has a perfect plan for you. Listen to a conversation that Jesus had Peter after the resurrection.
John 21
18 Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."
19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."
20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?"
21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?"
22 Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."
God’s will for you is personal, individual, and is between you and Him alone. He reveals it directly to you, not to you through someone else.
· God’s will is discernable
It is not a hidden mystery that you can never discover
Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
· We have to pray for God’s will to be done
Luke 11:2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
· Doing God’s will is necessary if you want eternal life
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
· God’s will must be done from the heart
Ephesians 6:5-6 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
Two more things…
· Being thankful is always God’s will
1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
· Doing the right thing is always God’s will
1 Peter 2:15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men
In the parable Jesus told, one son simply gave lip service to the Father…which never fools God. He sees the heart and the will of God is done in the heart before it is ever done in the body!
The failures of the religious leaders
· They had failed to do God’s will
· They had failed to accept people who had failed in the past
31 Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.
32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.
Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.
Remember, just before this, Jesus asked them about whether John the Baptist was sent by God or not, and they couldn’t answer because if they said, “Yes” Jesus would ask them why they didn’t believe him, and if they answered, “No” there would be an uproar among the people because everyone believed that John was a prophet from God…so responded by saying, “We don’t know.”
God had used John to usher in an incredible spiritual awakening.
Luke 3:7-9 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.”
John called them to repentance.
Matthew 3:1-2 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
People responded to His message. They repented! They got serious about their relationship with God!
You would think that the religious leaders would be really excited about all these new people who would be coming to the Lord, because they would be coming into their synagogues and supporting their business at the Temple.
Look at this account from the book of Acts.
Acts 18
1 After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth.
2 And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them.
3 So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers.
4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.
There are all these people who are packing out the synagogue week after week.
5 When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.
6 But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, "Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."
7 And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.
8 Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.
The reactions of the leaders in Jesus’ day were always the same. Look what happened after Levi became a believer.
Luke 5:29-30 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"
Look what happened when Zacchaeus became a believer
Luke 19
2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.
3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.
4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."
6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.
7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner."
8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."
9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;
10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
They couldn’t accept those who had been failures, they were incapable of extending grace. Look at what Jesus said about these leaders:
Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” (They could only reproduce what they were.)
Luke 11:52 “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.” (They were blocking the door, hindering people from entering into a relationship with God.)
The failures of the religious leaders
· They had failed to do God’s will
· They had failed to accept people who had failed in the past
· They had failed to respect God
33 "Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.
34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.
35 And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.
36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.
37 Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'
38 But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'
39 So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"
41 They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."
42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?
43 "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.
44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."
45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.
46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.
God had placed the Jewish people in an incredible position.
Deuteronomy 7:6 “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.”
Deuteronomy 7:6
Ø holy
Ø chosen
Ø special
God had planted the vineyard…
set a hedge around it…
dug a winepress in it…
built a tower…
Every time he had sent to receive some fruit from the vineyard, He was turned away.
He sent servants and eventually His son, but they refused to honor Him.
How do we honor God?
God had planted the vineyard, built the tower
· We honor God with our giving
Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
· We honor Him by how we think about Him in our hearts
Isaiah 29:13 Therefore the Lord said:
"Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me
God taught the strongest, greater ruler of the Babylonian Empire a lesson in honoring Him. God had warned Nebuchadnezzar that if he didn’t repent of his pride, judgment would fall upon him.
Daniel 4
28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.
29 At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon.
30 The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?"
31 While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!
32 And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses."
33 That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.
34 And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation.
35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, "What have You done?"
36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me.
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.
The same honor that the Father is due, the Son is also deserving of:
John 5:22-23 “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
When you honor Jesus, the Father will honor you.
John 12:27 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
The religious leaders had not only failed to honor the Father, they had failed to honor the Son as well.
The failures of the religious leaders
· They had failed to do God’s will
· They had failed to accept people who had failed in the past
· They had failed to respect God